Destiny Wiki:Citation Policy
Citations are information and links contained in the footer of an article which are used to validate information on the wiki and provide accreditation to the original source of the information. References to citations (commonly just called "references") are internal links within the text of the article that take the reader directly to the citation in the article's footer. For example, the following number is a reference to a citation, while the text appearing at the bottom of this article (and to which your browser will take you if you click on this number) is the citation itself: Example citation 1.Destiny Wiki is a fact-based wiki, and our mission to be the world's most reliable and credible source of Destiny (series)-related information requires strict adherence to this Citation Policy. Assertions in articles that are taken from any source, including games, books, videos, websites, podcasts, or articles must always be cited in order to both certify their legitimacy and accredit the original author, as well as to avoid claims of plagiarism. This policy provides guidance on when citations should be used (always!) and in what format these citations should made. When to Reference Whether to cite sources in articles is not a matter of personal preference. Citations are required anytime an assertion of fact is made. All assertions, no matter how small, should contain references to citations; if in doubt, add a citation -- remember that they are easier to remove than to add. Sources When citing information, only reliable sources should be used. A cited source must be one that is listed on the , but can range from the Destiny games themselves to official websites to articles written by Bungie-endorsed or Activision-endorsed gaming magazines. Editors should never use or cite to information taken from fan-run websites, collaborative encyclopedic sites, or other questionable sources. Instead, when relevant information is found that may be useful for Destiny Wiki readers, authors should try to find the primary source(s) of the information, such as the game, article, or website that first created or posted the information. As described in more depth on the , sources can be graded into three categories of reliability: *'1st' - Games, books, websites, video, and statements that are created, maintained, or otherwise put forth directly by Bungie or Activision. *'2nd' - Videos, online articles, and magazines created or written by professional companies that are either endorsed by Bungie/Activision or that adhere to professional ethics standards. *'3rd' - Any material created by unverified sources, such as fan blogs, YouTube channels, or third-party websites. 1st- and 2nd-grade sources that are listed in our list of are suitable for use in citations whenever they can be used. 2nd-grade sources should only be cited when no 1st-grade source is available, and 3rd-grade sources should only be cited when also supported by 1st- or 2nd-grade sources. Sources that are not listed or do not meet these criteria should be checked with an administrator before being used. Where to Reference References to appropriate citations should generally be placed after the next punctuation mark following the assertion being cited, except that when a single citation supports an entire sentence. In such a case, place the reference to that citation after the end of the sentence rather than following every punctuation mark. If this would be inconvenient or confusing for readers (such as when multiple citations support multiple assertions within a single sentence), references may be placed directly following the relevant assertion regardless of punctuation. Also note that when the source is another article on Destiny Wiki, the citation may occur either within the sentence (by adding a where appropriate) or as a reference to citation. See the following examples for proper placement of a reference: : Correct: The Traveler's arrival on Earth sparked a Golden Age for civilization.Example citation 2. :::(The reference supporting the assertion in the sentence appears directly following the next punctuation mark) : Correct: Players may choose from one of three species,Example citation 3. and they can customize their armor and weapons.Example citation 4. :::(Each citation to a different source follows the next punctuation mark after the relevant assertion) : Correct: Destiny is meant to "inspire hope"Example citation 5. and be "a world players want to be in"Example citation 6. while also making them feel like they are "becoming legend."Example citation 7. :::(With multiple sources supporting different assertions before the next available punctuation mark, placing all references at the end of the sentence might be confusing to readers, so each reference is placed directly following the assertion it supports) : Incorrect: Destiny is meant to be huge,Example citation 8 exciting, mysterious, and explorable by players. :::(The same citation supports all assertions in the sentence, and therefore needs only to be referenced at the end of the sentence, not after every punctuation mark) : Incorrect: In a Bungie Weekly Update located here, they said that Guardians will have customizable weapons. :::(Except for wikilinks to other articles on this wiki, authors should use references to cite to sources rather than citing within the text of the article) : Incorrect: Although the Cabal are present on Mars, this does not necessarily mean that they are originally from this planet.Example citation 9. :::(Because the second half of the sentence is speculation unsupported by the citation, the reference should be placed following the comma within the sentence to avoid reader confusion) How to Reference A reference is placed within an article using the following syntax in "Source" mode: : Text of the citation using the appropriate citation template While a reference can be placed without a name using just the syntax , it is good practice to give all references a name to lighten the workload on other authors who might later add information from the same source elsewhere in the article. Reference names should be both unique, in order to lessen the chances that multiple citations will be given the same name, and simple, to make reference names shorter and easier to remember. The citation templates located below provide pre-formatted fields for authors to use in writing citations. Simply click on the relevant link, copy the text, paste it after your or tag, and close the citation by typing . Publishers/Authors in Citations Where applicable, it may be helpful to readers to include a link to publishers' and/or authors' home pages when naming the publisher or author. For example, if Bungie is the publisher of a particular article, include a hyperlink to Bungie's website such as the following: publisher=Bungie Inc. Dates in Citations The date format for citations is as follows: DD (Abbreviated) YYYY. For example, "4 Dec. 2013" or "18 July 2012". The abbreviations for months on this Wiki should follow The Chicago Manual of Style's guidelines for month abbreviations in formal prose: This date format was chosen to reduce reader confusion due to varying date format practices around the world. For example, in the United States (the home locations of Bungie and Activision), date format is typically MM-DD-YYYY. In the EU and Australia, date format is typically DD-MM-YYYY. To reduce potential confusion for dates (for example, 3-2-2013 could be read as either March 2, 2013 or February 3, 2013 depending on which country the reader is from), this wiki uses the above format instead. Important reminder! Whenever references and citations appear in an article, a tag must be placed at the bottom of the page in order for the citations to appear. This tag should be placed in its own section under the header "References". For articles that contain over 10 citations, the reference should be split into two columns through replacing with in order to aid clarity of reading. Citation Templates In order to preserve the consistency of citations, and therefore allow for clarity of reading reference lists, multiple pre-formatted reference templates exist. Editors need only fill out the fields of the templates with the relevant information pertaining to the source, such as the author or the title of an article. When citing a source editors should always use one of our pre-formatted templates which best reflects the nature of the source. *Game-sourced citations should use . *Book-sourced citations should use . *Video-sourced citations should use . *Online article-sourced citations should use . *Website-sourced citations should use . *Internal wikilink-sourced citations (when referenced instead of placed within article content) should use Example Wikilink *Other sources that do not fit one of these templates should be cited on instruction of an administrator. Helpful tip! Regular authors who frequently cite sources may find it useful to bookmark , as it contains ALL of this wiki's citation templates in a format from which they can be easily copied and pasted into articles while editing. References Category:Policies